When the Dodgers ventured to Colorado to play the Rockies from June 6-8, the Rockies were mired in a seven-game losing streak and the Dodgers proceeded to take two of three from them to further their agony.

The teams began a three-game series Monday at Dodger Stadium. The difference? Colorado came in having won five in a row, including three at San Francisco over the weekend.

No problem. Thanks to the pitching of southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu and an offensive attack that included 15 hits, they defeated the Rockies 6-1 before 44,077.

Ryu pitched six innings and gave up just one run on three hits while striking out six and walking only one. He picked up the win and is now 8-3. Included in his offensive support were four hits by Dee Gordon, three from Yasiel Puig and two apiece from Matt Kemp and A.J Ellis. Kemp drove in two runs and Ellis, Puig and Hanley Ramirez each had an RBI. Puig reaggravated a hip injury sustained in Colorado, but did not come out of the game.

The Dodgers (38-34) pulled within six games of the idle Giants in the NL West standings.

Left-hander Tyler Matzek (1-1), in just his second major-league start, took the loss. The Mission Viejo native threw five innings and gave up three runs on 10 hits. He walked two and did not have a strikeout.

Mattingly loved all the offense.

“It was good because I think it’s one of those games you just keep getting them and keep adding on,” he said. “I think that’s the thing. This club (Colorado) has been coming back every night and you don’t want to give them any breathing room and you don’t want to let them stay close.

“All those little add-on runs are important, I think, playing any club, but especially a club that’s been hot late in the game and been scoring runs on bullpens, so we wanted to make sure that door stayed closed tonight.”

Mattingly said quite a bit about Ryu in one short sentence.

“He’s a handful,” Mattingly said. “That guy can pitch.”

Gordon got the Dodgers on the board in the third inning when he stroked a 1-out line drive that was misplayed twice by left-fielder Charlie Blackmon, who first let the ball get by him in the corner, then couldn’t pick it up. Gordon easily rounded the bases with the ruling a triple and error on Blackmon.

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“I thought it was an inside-the-parker, to be honest with you, because I didn’t think he touched it,” Gordon said. “I thought it like scooted away from him. But it is what it is and I’ll be all right with what I got.”

Kemp loved watching his teammate navigate the bases.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody run that fast around the bases,” Kemp said. “Long stride, long legs. He looks short, but he’s tall.”

Los Angeles wasn’t done. Ramirez walked, went to second on a single to left by Puig and Kemp knocked in Ramirez with a line single to left for a 2-0 Dodgers lead.

The Rockies (34-36) got one of those runs back in the top of the fourth inning when, with two out, Wilin Rosario took Ryu deep over the left-field wall on an 0-2 pitch.

Puig led off the fifth inning with an infield single to third, but was still at first after Kemp lined out to left and Scott Van Slyke flied out to left. Andre Ethier kept things going with a ground single to right to send the hard-running Puig to third, and Puig came home on a single to center by Ellis for a 3-1 Dodgers advantage.

The locals scored two more runs in the sixth to create some breathing room. Gordon singled with one out - his fourth hit of the game - and was balked to second by relief pitcher Chris Martin. Ramirez drove him home on a hit-and-run single to left. Ramirez scored on a double off the centerfield wall by Kemp and it was a 5-1 Dodgers cushion.

Puig drove in the Dodgers’ final run with an RBI single in the eighth.

The Rockies were unlucky in the first inning. With Brandon Barnes on first via a walk and two outs, Justin Morneau ripped a ground-rule double to right-center. Barnes would have scored easily, but because the ball hopped the fence he was sent back to third. Ryu then struck out Drew Stubbs looking to end the threat.

Ryu also pitched out of trouble in the second. Rosario led off with a double to left. Ryu struck out Josh Rutledge, induced Charlie Culberson to hit back to him and then struck out Matzek to end the inning with no advance from Rosario.

The Dodgers flirted with scoring in the bottom of the second. But with Van Slyke on third and Ellis on first via a double and walk, respectively, Miguel Rojas flied out deep to left and that threat was dead.